City prepares for busy year

January’s cold snap was tough for the fire department, the Sundance City Council heard last week.

It was “Mother Nature at her worst” when a structure fire during subzero temperatures caused “total havoc”, said Fire Chief Gari Gill, plugging the diesel particulate filters and “shutting [two] trucks down”.

One of those trucks is now up and running at a repair cost of around $2000, Gill said. The other is likely to cost around $5000.

Though the city will still need to pay the $1000 deductible, he reported that insurance does cover the rest of the costs. By doing all the work themselves, Gill said, the department has saved somewhere in the region of $15,000 on these repairs.

This winter has also brought a number of incidents, Gill continued, including two accidents that required extrication, a grass fire and a truck fire.

A busy period can be something of a two-way street for the volunteers, Gill said: when things are slow, morale can drop within the department.

During the regular meeting, the council also heard a report from Paul Stille of Leo Riley & Associates regarding its annual audit. Stille flagged no issues other than “small office size” making it difficult to ensure separation of duties, which is an issue that affects most small governmental entities; Stille noted that the city has taken steps to address it.

Public Works Director Mac Erickson reported on current projects, asking the council to approve a survey agreement with EA Engineering to complete the surveying needed to continue the design work for the 3rd Street project to install a new water line.

He also stated that he is still working with Trihydro, City Engineers, to create a plan for the sewer issue impacting Heith Waddell’s parcel of land at the east end of town. City rules don’t allow for a lot within reach of a sewer line to have a septic tank, but this particular lot sits at an elevation that makes it tough to tap in at the available connection point.

Erickson said that work is also ongoing to see if it might be possible to storm-proof the area of town around High Mile Road, where heavy rains have made it clear that a significant drainage issue exists.

“I think they’re close,” he said of Trihydro’s efforts.

Work is also underway to inventory lead and galvanized service lines within city limits. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is in the process of changing its rules on lead and copper in public drinking water systems and the first step in this process is a requirement for the city to create a complete inventory of every service line within its water system by 2026.

When he became aware of these rule changes at the end of 2022, Erickson told the council that, he expects the EPA will require the city to replace a percentage of the lead and copper material within the system each year.

So far, said Erickson, four galvanized lines have been located that will require replacement, which is a fairly positive number.

“We could be a lot worse off than we are,” he said.

This summer’s 3rd Street project will help, he added.

Clerk-Treasurer Theresa Curren reported that WWC Engineering was able to find an outdoor recreation grant through the state using leftover American Rescue Plan Act money that can be used to refurbish the pickleball courts. She said she expects to hear whether the application was successful within the month.

The next regular meeting of the council is scheduled for March 5.